


The Rodent

by Geotr_2



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Dantooine, Holocron, Jedi Temple, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon why, it has spines, it spits corrosive acid, mission, pathetic lifeforms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:47:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24173071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geotr_2/pseuds/Geotr_2
Summary: Qui-gon has a strange tendency to pick up Pathetic LifeformsTM and hand them off to Obi-wan.
Relationships: Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54





	The Rodent

"Master? Is everything alright?" Qui-gon knelt down on the grass in front of him, eyes trained on some thing Obi-wan couldn't see. He felt a spike of worry through their force-bond, though it faded with the appearance of his padawan behind him.

"Yes. Everything is just fine. For us. Unfortunately, this creature here has not had the same amount of luck." Qui-gon stood and turned, cradling some sort of armored rodent with a foot twisted so far to the side Obi-wan was sure it was only attached by the skin. 

_Oh Force_ , Obi-wan thought. _Not this again._

"I thought we didn't believe in luck, Master."

"We don't. This creature is injured in our path for a reason."

_Oh Force, please, just once, anything but this..._

"Shouldn't we be focusing on finding a way into the Jedi Temple?"

"What if he is our way into the Jedi Temple?"

"What? Master, you're not making any sense."

Qui-gon held out the small animal for Obi-wan to take hold of. "Children are supposed to like small, fluffy animals. You two will get along fine."

"Master, it has _spines_ ," Obi-wan protested as the rodent dangled between them.

"So? Are they poisonous?"

"..."

"Well then. You two shall get along just fine," Qui-gon repeated as Obi-wan finally accepted the creature. They continued trodding the perimeter of the Dantooine Temple. _We're supposed to be retrieving an important holocron, not picking up another pathetic life-form._

"Master, it's biting me."

"Well, maybe if you were nicer to him he'd stop trying to eat you."

"It appears that it's saliva contains some sort of corrosive acid. Probably for digestive purposes," Obi-wan noted as his skin began to burn where the creature had nipped at him.

"How do you know that?"

"Master, I told you it's biting me."

"It's only nibbling."

"Excuse me. Who needs teeth when you can spit corrosive acid?"

"Are you okay?"

Obi-wan chose to ignore the question. "Can we not just leave it?"

"It's injured!"

_I can't believe this!_

"If we keep it much longer, Master, I will be injured as well!"

"It's just frightened, Obi-wan."

"Maybe you'd like to hold it."

"I thought you wanted me to find a way into the Jedi Temple."

"..."

"What?"

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes, fine. You figure out how to get into the temple, and I'll take care of your little pet."

Qui-gon smiled. "I told you you'd get along just fine."

Obi-wan tried not to let his jaw fall to the floor, but knew he was failing. Defeated once again by his master's apparent need to save every last creature, he resigned himself to wrapping its foot in bacta.

"I found it!"

"An entrance?" Obi-wan shouted.

"Yes! Come on!"

"Master, what about your pet?"

"Bring him!"

Obi-wan sighed. Meeting up with Qui-gon, he muttered, "How do you even know its a boy?"

"Can you prove me wrong?"

"..."

Qui-gon shot his padawan a triumphant smirk. Sometimes Obi-wan wondered if he would ever truly understand his master. He followed Qui-gon with the rodent as they searched the temple.

"You know I was once a 'pathetic life-form', as you call it? We should respect all life, my padawan."

Obi-wan stiffened in shock.

"Your mental shields could use a bit of work," Qui-gon chuckled. 

The teen felt heat rushing to his face. He clenched his jaw against the sensation.

"No need to feel embarrassed, though. I once thought as you do. But you must understand, to the Force, helping a creature heal is most certainly not a waste of time."

"I know, Master, I just-"

"Felt it was a waste of time?"

Obi-wan paused. "Well, the mission _is_ important."

"To the Jedi."

"Yes, Master, and we are Jedi..."

"And a Jedi must be aware of the Force. That creature was lying right in our path. The Force might wish it to survive, for whatever reason. Why not help it?"

"Fair point."

"What if one day you were that creature, and a Jedi walked by you because they were more concerned with their mission? Ask yourself, is this really the will of the Force? If it is, you will know. If it is not, you will know - if you just listened to its whispering. The will of the Force itself does not always align perfectly with your mission."

"Yes, Master."

"And, Obi-wan?"

"Yes?"

"Set it down."

"What?"

"Put the creature down."

Obi-wan happily obeyed, watching curiously as it began to drag itself limply across the smooth floor.

"Where is it going, Master?"

"It's searching for something. I imagine its senses are more accustomed to this planet than ours. In fact, it has probably been in this temple before."

Before long at all, the creature had led them through multiple hallways and open passages, until it suddenly stopped and curled up against a wall in a dark room. Qui-gon closed his eyes, running his hand over the wall above the creature. He prodded gently with the Force, and a holocron snapped to his hand, illuminating the room in its peaceful, blue glow. Obi-wan couldn't believe it.

Qui-gon turned to his dumbstruck padawan. "Now, how would you have liked to spend all day searching for this on our own? It appears our pathetic life-form has greatly aided our mission, not hindered it."

"How did you know?"

"I didn't. I listened to my instincts. Logic can get you quite a ways, but when it comes down to a decision, compassion is the best way to accomplish any task. It appears the Force has rewarded our decision."

Obi-wan huffed. "It doesn't always."

"But it did."

Obi-wan shook his head. "Fine. I'm done. Let's just get out of here, Master."

"What about the pathetic life-form, Obi-wan?"

"What about him?"

Qui-gon raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, directing the question right back at his padawan.

A smile broke across the young man's face. "Bring him."

Qui-gon collected the small animal from the floor. "And then what will we do with him?"

"We'll bring him back, or find some other suitable place for him. We must get the holocron back to Coruscant today. We still can't stay because of this creature."

"Or?"

Obi-wan followed his master's thoughts as they boarded their ship. "We could give the creature to some sort of vet, someone who can heal its foot and find a suitable place for him instead of us."

"And so we shall."

With that, they headed off into space with the holocron and the pathetic life-form.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote it about that text post about how Qui-gon must have been picking up "pathetic lifeforms" all the time for Obi-wan to have said that about Anakin in TPM. Someone in the comments of that post was like "I want the fanfiction" so... dats wut I do bro


End file.
